And Then She Smiled
by lollypops and poison
Summary: When Severus Snape takes a trip to Muggle London, the last person he expects to run into is Hermione KnowItAll Granger. When she fails to recognise him, he decides to follow her... ON HOLD
1. Butterfly Kisses

Disclaimer: Everything you recognise is J.K. Rowling's, the rest is a result of my overly active imagination.

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing Fanfiction, and as I'm from Belgium (and therefore not a native speaker), I hope you'll go easy on me. But not too easy, I still want honest reviews!

Enjoy,

Coffee and Cyanide

AND THEN SHE SMILED

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Butterfly Kisses

Severus Snape was not one to enjoy journeys into the Muggle world. There were some things, however, one could not find in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. The reason for this particular trip to Muggle London was quite simple: he was looking for a Christmas gift for Albus Dumbledore. The only thing Severus could think of was a pair of socks; after all, what does one buy a man who has everything?

Assuming inspiration would come to him eventually, Severus strolled along the crowded street. When he rounded a corner, someone bumped into him, dropping their bags onto the pavement. He was about to bark some cynical comment at them, but froze when he looked down. The last person he had expected to run into outside - or inside, for that matter - of the Wizarding world, was gathering her parcels hurriedly while muttering an apology. Hermione Granger, ex-Gryffindor, ex-sidekick of the Boy-who-lived-to-defy-him and most of all, ex-member of the Order of the Phoenix.

When she had disappeared five years before, everybody had looked frantically for the witch, without result. Having defeated Lord Voldemort alongside Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley in her seventh year, she had become quite the celebrity; because of that, everyone in the Wizarding world had mourned the loss of the brilliant witch. After a while, everybody had lost hope, except for Potter and Weasley, who could not accept that their friend was dead, or worse. Even Severus had sometimes wondered what had become of his former student. Three years after her disappearance, Potter and Weasley had decided to finally let it go, and go on with their lives. A ceremony was held in remembrance of Hermione Granger.

And now, here she was, gathering her purchases and picking up a crying little boy, like she did this all the time. Severus guessed him to be about four years old. '_Is this why she disappeared?' _he thought. '_I guess this means Minerva's perfect protégé had a dark secret after all._' He continued to watch her, waiting for her to look up at him.

When she finally did, he expected her to jump in surprise, or perhaps freeze in shock. She did none of that. Instead, she repeated her apology and left with the toddler on her hip. He didn't understand. Even after five years, she should have recognised him; after all, he had not changed one bit. He still looked like an overgrown bat, even in Muggle clothes. His curiosity piqued, Severus decided to follow her.

Apparently, all of her Christmas shopping was done, as she entered a small café at the end of the street. Entering a few minutes behind her – his days as a spy had rendered him slightly paranoid and he wouldn't take the risk of walking into a trap – he spotted her sitting at the bar. She was talking to her son quietly, while the boy sipped his cocoa.

Looking more closely, Severus noticed the bags under her eyes and her slumped shoulders. He wondered what had happened to the overly-excited, annoying know-it-all he had reprimanded a thousand times in his classroom. Intrigued, he watched the scene before him from a table in the corner.

She was fussing over the little boy, adjusting his tie and wiping his nose constantly. When the boy told her to stop, Severus smirked. He was definitely not the only one who thought she was exaggerating. Just when Severus wanted to walk up to her and ask why she had left so many years ago, the boy nuzzled his mother's cheek. He whispered something that sounded like "Butterfly kiss, mummy", but Severus figured he had heard wrong. After all, who had heard of something as asinine as kissing butterflies?

Hermione hugged the boy close, kissing his forehead, and then she smiled. For a moment, Severus thought his heart would melt from the warmth that shone in her eyes; then, he shook himself out of his reverie, sneering at his own sentimental thoughts. Determined to find out what had happened to her, he rose from his seat.

TBC


	2. She Collapsed

Disclaimer: Everything you recognise is J.K. Rowling's, the rest is a result of my overly active imagination.

A/N: I didn't think I would be writing this second chapter so soon after submitting the first, but everyone who knows me will acknowledge the fact that I don't get the concept of a writer's block – at all. So read this chapter and let me know what you think.

Enjoy,

Coffee and Cyanide

AND THEN SHE SMILED

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She Collapsed

Hermione sighed. She hadn't slept at all the night before, with Noa being ill and coughing all the time. She was worried sick about the little boy, but the doctor had told her there was nothing wrong with him. "Merely a cold," she had said, "like every normal 5-year old in winter." That hadn't reassured Hermione at all, so she made sure Noa was covered from head to toe, before going out to do Misses Johnson's Christmas shopping.

She had offered to do so, claiming that her friendly neighbour was always busy around the holidays and could use the help. In reality, she wanted to forget about the fact that she had no-one to buy presents for, except for Noa. Seeing her old Professor had brought it all back, crushing her. While watching the little boy sip his cocoa, she thought about her parents. The memories didn't hurt as much as they used to anymore, but she still couldn't think about Graduation Day without tears clouding her vision.

Flashback

Hermione stood amongst her peers on the lawn in front of the castle. She had hoped her parents could make it to the Graduation Ceremony, but she understood that they didn't feel comfortable being surrounded by so many wizards and witches. After all, they still weren't at ease with her being a witch, and she was their daughter.

When she was about to board the Hogwarts Express, she heard someone calling her name. She turned to see Professor McGonagall running towards her, a sad look in her eyes. "Miss Granger," she said, "please come with me." She took off without looking back and Hermione hurried to catch up. "What's wrong, Professor?" she asked, struggling to keep up with the older woman. When the Professor didn't answer her question, she went quiet.

'_What could have happened?'_ Hermione thought. _'With Voldemort gone, I thought we would finally be getting some peace.'_ When they reached the Professor's office, she was ushered inside. It seemed that fate had other plans for Hermione than the peace she longed for. When Professor McGonagall told her about the deaths of her parents, she collapsed.

End Flashback

Hermione shook herself. It wouldn't do to burst into tears in front of Noa. The little boy seemed to have noticed her mood, for he gave her 'butterfly kisses', as she used to give her mum - _'Don't think about that now, Hermione!'_ , and allowed her to hug him tightly. In normal circumstances, the boy would have loudly protested to such a display of affection.

Noa was all she had right now, and she pampered the boy every chance she got, without letting it get to his head off course. It was hard to manage with her low salary, but she refused to go begging for money with her old friends. She had left that world behind a long time ago, feeling betrayed. If she hadn't been a witch, her parents would still be alive. Mentally berating herself for letting those memories take over again, she concentrated on making sure the boy wasn't cold. When he told her she was fussing too much – "Really, mum, it's not freezing _inside_, you know!" – she laughed out loud.

When she looked around, she froze. Professor Snape was making his way towards her. _'Bugger,'_ she thought, _'I didn't think he'd recognised me when I almost knocked him to the ground. I wonder if I can make it to the door before he realises I'm running away?'_ She didn't try to escape, though, because she knew that he had incredible reflexes – probably acquired during his Death Eater-spy days – and would stop her before she even made it halfway out of the pub.

Hermione decided the best thing to do was to fake ignorance. She had managed it outside, judging by the curious look he had given her when she had only glanced in his direction. Maybe he would believe her twice…it was worth the try anyway. She turned her gaze to Noa, who was chattering about asking Santa for a puppy, sensing his approach.

"Miss Granger?"

_'I guess it's time to face the music,'_ she thought.

And then she smiled.

TBC

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A/N: To all of you who reviewed: thank you very much! I actually like responding to reviews (don't take anything I say too seriously, I do have a sense of humour, you know) and I really appreciate people who point out my mistakes.


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